1998 Lotus Elise 1.8i 16v

Summary:

Faults:

Brakes

Headlights

Indicators

Window Winding Mechanism.

All in six months of ownership.

Lost two grand in six months on this car! (and it was a good example)

General Comments:

DO NOT BUY ONE. I bought a Lotus Elise in 2005 having read a lot of positive reviews. I have been driving 8 years and this is the worst car I have ever owned. Yes it handles superbly in the dry and has rapid acceleration, but that's it!!

HANDLING & DRIVE

Its superb handling goes out of the window when it rains and this is the only car I have ever lost control of. It is dangerous in any conditions other than a summers day. I am not over exaggerating either - other people don't see you and pull out in front of you and the car is notoriously twitchy when it is not dry. Too much power through a 700kg shell. Its acceleration is excellent, again in the dry, but like a lot of cars wheel-spin takes over in the wet.

OWNERSHIP

DO NOT even entertain the idea of having one as your only car, as I did. The boot is big enough for two tescos bags only and its position next to the engine means all your food is cooked when you get home! A journey lasting more than 40 minutes will give you severe back ache. At one point I got pins and needles in my lower back and it frequently went numb and I'm a healthy 24 year old male. There is hardly any storage space for anything inside. Servicing costs are severe and the brakes aren't even servo assisted. Almost whacked my head everytime I got in! Girlfirend hated it!... turned loads of heads though - because it looks sexy from the outside!

CONCLUSION

Lovely car if its to be your toy to burn up and down in for a few thousand miles in the summer. Don't be seduced by the cars power, like I was - the honeymoon period soon wears off especially in bad weather - but you're not going to listen are you!!

27th Jul 2006, 15:52

I've also got an Elise S1... No big issues... I had a MX5 before and issue with the boot are poppycock... I go to France for 2 weeks 3 times a year... and I can say it's not a problem... for food shopping... I put bags front of the passenger seat... 40 min and back problems... 1200kms down to Brittany... and I was OK...

Handling on wet... try a 911 from the 80's... it's a rear wheel drive without traction control so yep, it won't react as a Golf...

Only issue: the hood isn't perfect, but some tricks and a bit of flexibility can make the Elise your main car...